Just got the Hero...

[pierceNKC]

Did I make the right choice passing on the Moment?

So far I'm pleased...but I don't want to miss out on something with the Moment being more compatible for Android updates...

 

[meangreengdub]

I think the Hero is much better than the moment. The Hero feels much more solid and looks better IMO. Also, HTC phones are much better than Samsung in general. I've had my Hero since October 09' and I love it.

 

[NovaFox238]

Well, the main reason for the delay in updates, is because Sense UI, which the Moment doesnt have. Aside from that, its all Android. Both are great phones, im sure, but personally I have the Hero, and LOVE it to this day. The touch-screen typing might take u a bit of getting use to, if u never had one like it before, but once u get the hang of it, its easy and feels VERY comfortable.

All in all, I believe you made the right choice!

 

[pierceNKC]

I traded in my pre to get this, so as of now I'm really happy. The pre was garbage.

 

[scottmbolt]

Good choice with the Hero

Oh... and DON'T install a task killer.

 

[aauussttiinn88]

haha man i know they wonder why their company sucks in the phone market...their cheaper phone (the pixi) is better built than their supposebly bread and butter phone

 

[i VTAK]

Welcome to Android! You made the right choice for sure. My wife got a Moment the same time I got my Hero. I can't say I hate it, but I definitely feel the Hero is the better phone. I think the Sense UI may make this phone a bit more difficult to upgrade, but I doubt Sprint will upgrade the Moment and leave us hanging. Even if this phone never got upgraded I think I'd be happy with it for 2 years anyways. Read all you can, as Android on any phone is a bit finicky IMO. Enjoy your stay and I hope you love your phone as much as I love mine!

 

[pierceNKC]

I did install an app killer...should I delete it?

 

[mysticmead]

my wife has the moment.. I have the Hero.. I love my Hero.. I feel it's better than the Moment (although Moment users will disagree).. it took me a few days to get used to the virtual keyboard..now, I love it. the one thing the Moment has is a AMOLED screen.. if the Hero had that, it'd be a complete winner.. but a screen isn't enough to make me trade...

 

[scottmbolt]

I did install an app killer...should I delete it?

Take it from someone who read countless times that task killers were good for the phone... It was the first thing I downloaded off the bat, killing this and killing that for a few weeks. I noticed horrible battery life. Once I uninstalled and let Android manage tasks on its own, battery life improved by almost 30%. This is just MY PERSONAL experience. If you feel the need to have one, then try it with and without it, and see for yourself the difference.

 

[madpirahna]

The task killer is probably unnecessary. I nvever use one and my Hero runs great. Just read this post

http://androidforums.com/sprint-htc-hero/26997-task-managers-your-hero.html

Remember to "back out", or at least just try to exit the app properly.

 

[JB in AZ]

my wife has the moment.. I have the Hero.. I love my Hero.. I feel it's better than the Moment (although Moment users will disagree).. it took me a few days to get used to the virtual keyboard..now, I love it. the one thing the Moment has is a AMOLED screen.. if the Hero had that, it'd be a complete winner.. but a screen isn't enough to make me trade...

Would you mind explaining the advantage of the AMOLED screen over what the hero has? (LED, I presume?) Thx!

 

[mysticmead]

yep... LED.. brighter colors... higher resolution.. and uses less battery power.. a standard LCD screen will over time (several years) lose brightness.. a LED screen won't lose brightness or crispness..

 

[JB in AZ]

yep... LED.. brighter colors... higher resolution.. and uses less battery power.. a standard LCD screen will over time (several years) lose brightness.. a LED screen won't lose brightness or crispness..

Thanks!

 

[tazcollins]

Take it from someone who read countless times that task killers were good for the phone... It was the first thing I downloaded off the bat, killing this and killing that for a few weeks. I noticed horrible battery life. Once I uninstalled and let Android manage tasks on its own, battery life improved by almost 30%. This is just MY PERSONAL experience. If you feel the need to have one, then try it with and without it, and see for yourself the difference.

Ya know, me and my wife have had our Hero's over two months. You just gave a good idea. We both just uninstalled the task killers. Actually it was getting on my nerves. This is because I was always checking it. Maybe if it was so important htc would have included it. We're going to let it do it's own managing thing and see what happens. After all, it's supposed to be a smart phone!

 

[scottmbolt]

Ya know, me and my wife have had our Hero's over two months. You just gave a good idea. We both just uninstalled the task killers. Actually it was getting on my nerves. This is because I was always checking it. Maybe if it was so important htc would have included it. We're going to let it do it's own managing thing and see what happens. After all, it's supposed to be a smart phone!

Its a smart idea. I read reviews before I got the Hero, and hundreds of people said "get task killers - get task killers" ... so out of the box I got one. Then I read a little more, and realized .. why not try it without it? Since I uninstalled, there is no lie about it. My personal battery life is soooo much better. I though the same thing as well, if task killers were so important, why isn't there an HTC pre-installed task killer? Make sure after you uninstall it, you reboot. Let the phone start from a fresh reboot after you uninstall the killer.

 

[pwrmedia]

The Task Killers themselves aren't the battery drainers, unless you run them right after install and and don't adjust the appropriate settings. They are only consumption hogs if you use them every second just to free up space, or if they have preset options to just run in the background and autokill when the screen is off, or idling, etc...

Task Killers, when used correctly on the Hero, are great for freeing up immediate space to reduce lag when the Android OS doesn't recognize the app(s) right away.

After researching prior to buy, my personal immediate maintenance app d/l's right after getting the Hero were:

1) Spare Parts
2) dg Quickcut
3) TasKiller
4) Estrongs File Explorer
5) UPM
6) Personal Assistant
7) SMS Popup

5 and 6 aren't exactly system maintenance apps, but the 1-4, and 7...absolutely. QuickCut is awesome to create shortcuts to vital settings (system and Spare Parts), so there is no need to d/l separate toggle widgets for this phone (ie. battery life, WiFi, Data). Also includes a great dropscreen cut so you can plug them in there.

SMS Popup + appropriate messaging settings = No lag or missed texts like you would w/ Handcent (at least w/ their most recent update). Refresh your Profile/PRL 2x weekly to ensure.

TasKiller. Set up your ignore list properly for your most used apps, and the Android system will run lag free with min battery/sys mem use after it learns it.

Sorry for the lengthy post, but I'm getting almost 48 hours of battery life w/ moderate use using this set up (i do turn off data @ night for the most part, but can still receive SMS/MMS and phone calls). Bottom line, ANY app can be considered a battery hog if you use it every minute. Set it up right and adjust ALL your phone settings properly to maximize your battery.

 

[pierceNKC]

The Task Killers themselves aren't the battery drainers, unless you run them right after install and and don't adjust the appropriate settings. They are only consumption hogs if you use them every second just to free up space, or if they have preset options to just run in the background and autokill when the screen is off, or idling, etc...

Task Killers, when used correctly on the Hero, are great for freeing up immediate space to reduce lag when the Android OS doesn't recognize the app(s) right away.

After researching prior to buy, my personal immediate maintenance app d/l's right after getting the Hero were:

1) Spare Parts
2) dg Quickcut
3) TasKiller
4) Estrongs File Explorer
5) UPM
6) Personal Assistant
7) SMS Popup

5 and 6 aren't exactly system maintenance apps, but the 1-4, and 7...absolutely. QuickCut is awesome to create shortcuts to vital settings (system and Spare Parts), so there is no need to d/l separate toggle widgets for this phone (ie. battery life, WiFi, Data). Also includes a great dropscreen cut so you can plug them in there.

SMS Popup + appropriate messaging settings = No lag or missed texts like you would w/ Handcent (at least w/ their most recent update). Refresh your Profile/PRL 2x weekly to ensure.

TasKiller. Set up your ignore list properly for your most used apps, and the Android system will run lag free with min battery/sys mem use after it learns it.

Sorry for the lengthy post, but I'm getting almost 48 hours of battery life w/ moderate use using this set up (i do turn off data @ night for the most part, but can still receive SMS/MMS and phone calls). Bottom line, ANY app can be considered a battery hog if you use it every minute. Set it up right and adjust ALL your phone settings properly to maximize your battery.

good stuff, very informative - thanks! i'll try it out and let you know how it goes.

 

[pwrmedia]

good stuff, very informative - thanks! i'll try it out and let you know how it goes.

Np, and please hit the thanks button if any of that benefits you.

It's a great phone with a world of possibilities, and despite early flaws (ie. dust in screen on 1st builds), it's a complete smartphone for the everyday user. I was a WinMo lifer who became addicted to the HTC brand from the Mogul days, and the customization opportunities are great w/ the phone and Android in general. You'll come across hundreds of "my battery life sucks" threads, but it's all about using your phone wisely. Anyone can get longer battery life w/o having to shortchange themselves on trying a new app, or deleting the minute one "tarts" out. The biggest drain on this phone seems to be data and horrible initial settings out of the box. A few tweaks and adjustments, and you'll easily get 24 hours w/ heavy use before having to think about charging! Enjoy!

 

[pierceNKC]

UPM - is that universal password manager?

 

[pwrmedia]

UPM - is that universal password manager?

Yep. All of the apps I listed are free, and for me, this basic p/w manager does just what I need it to do, with basic initial lock options. I don't have any government secrets hidden so I don't need 50,000 encryptions just so I can access a Yahoo p/w lol.

 

[pierceNKC]

any initial settings you'd recommend with that spare parts app?

also - did you root your phone?

ps - i went ahead and "thanked" you

 

[pwrmedia]

any initial settings you'd recommend with that spare parts app?

also - did you root your phone?

ps - i went ahead and "thanked" you

Thank you!

Initial settings w/ spare parts:
-set windows and transition animations to fast
-make sure "compatibility mode" box is checked
-only mess w/ the WiFi sleep policy setting if you are an AVID WiFi user, otherwise you will experience issues w/ previous settings
-no need to mess w/ the activity/process mgmt setting

I haven't rooted (yet) simply due to personal preference. Right now, I'm content w/ what's available to me out of the box, and just tweak my screens and performance from there. I have no complaints about the performance or battery life from an unrooted standpoint. But, I'd definitely say root if you want to try out all the custom ROM's and explore everything; if you have prior experience w/ unlocking CDMA phones and flashing, then you'll become addicted!

Fyi, if you do d/l QuickCut, make sure you create a background shortcut for "battery info" (which is pulled from the Spare Parts app, lets you see your battery remaining, last boot time, battery temp), "manage apps" shortcut (so you can clean your caches w/ just one click), and create no more than 2 dropscreen shortcuts (any more than that, and you won't be able to view certain things like WeatherBug temp in your top bar if you ever d/l it).

I forgot to list 4 other good maintenance apps in the original post...lol
-Better Alarm (and create a background shortcut for "alarms" so you can access alarms w/o having to open the program and auto run their weather widget...which does drain a little battery)
-Toggle Screen Timeout widget
-Volume Control (it isn't a scheduler, but you can set 2 presets for every volume setting on the phone)
-System Panel (new app this week, REAL good for all detailed info on your phone, just make sure you close it entirely after each use)

 

[scottmbolt]

The good thing about Android is personalization goes hand in hand with separate experiences. Out of the box I tweaked my phone according to many suggestions I read on the internet, including these forums. I downloaded a Task Killer, and I used it only to close non essential apps (NFL, Nascar, etc.), since closing apps that you use on a consistent basis is bad for the phone, because it will have to load it again after being closed.

I still did not experience optimal performance, even with rarely using the Task Killer. Then I uninstalled the task killer, and ever since battery life has improved dramatically, and have not experienced and lag at all. As states above, this is my personal experience. Everyone tweaks differently and has different results, but on my phone, task killer usage was BAD for my battery.

 

[pwrmedia]

The good thing about Android is personalization goes hand in hand with separate experiences. Out of the box I tweaked my phone according to many suggestions I read on the internet, including these forums. I downloaded a Task Killer, and I used it only to close non essential apps (NFL, Nascar, etc.), since closing apps that you use on a consistent basis is bad for the phone, because it will have to load it again after being closed.

I still did not experience optimal performance, even with rarely using the Task Killer. Then I uninstalled the task killer, and ever since battery life has improved dramatically, and have not experienced and lag at all. As states above, this is my personal experience. Everyone tweaks differently and has different results, but on my phone, task killer usage was BAD for my battery.

Quick question, Scott..

Did you set up an ignore list? And, if so, did you ignore the background apps as well that reload intermittently? I noticed through trial and error that processess have to be ignored too in order to maximize the Task Killer, and not just the apps (which were all I was ignoring @ first). Once I determined which processess automatically start and govern themselves regardless, I put those in the ignore list, and that stablized the battery life almost instantly after a reboot and recharge.